Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Tennessee State Tigers Fall Camp Update Day 5 - Quarterbacks

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- The offense continues to get stronger as each day progresses through camp. All three units are starting to gel and are starting to make advances on the defense, which has held the upper hand through the initial days of camp.

At the helm of the offense is redshirt-sophomore O’Shay Ackerman-Carter. Despite missing action due to injuries during his first year of action, Ackerman-Carter was able to throw 11 scoring passes as he completed 110 passes in 190 attempts for 1,279, throwing only five interceptions.

He will return with the starting nod, but will be pushed by Ronald Butler who has seen action in 25 contests – 13 starts - through his first three seasons. Butler is a capable option as he is just 29 pass attempts away from breaking into the TSU Top 10 Career List.

The senior finished 65-of-115 for 813 yards, as he tossed eight scoring passes with seven picks. Butler also ran for 199 yards, including a touchdown. Redshirt-freshmen Michael Hughes and Jeremias Elston supply the depth behind the two veterans.

Rodrick Robinson enters his first season with the Tigers and will look to learn the system.

- On what it has been like working with the other quarterbacks
“We push each other a lot. We are all watching film together. Anytime someone makes mistakes, we get on each other, and we’re just trying to make each other better for the team.”

- On the comradery of the quarterbacks
“It’s great. We are all close friends. We just try to push each other every day.”

Senior Quarterback, Ronald Butler
- On how camp has been going
“It’s been good. The heat has been tough for us, but we have been good about staying hydrated. It’s definitely been a good camp so far. It’s only day five and we’ve been getting a lot of the young guys in there. They’ve been getting acquainted to the offense.”

- On how the young quarterbacks are doing
“The young guys are out here doing a good job. They’re picking it up in the film room and they’re studying up. There are a couple things that the older guys are helping them out with from experience, just little things here and there, but they’re doing really well.”

- On how the quarterbacks work together
“We all push each other. If someone throws a good ball, we’re all patting them on the back. We’re all a team, we’re all a family. We’re just here to lift up our teammates because you never know what will happen. If one goes down, the other one will have to be in the game. We need everyone’s confidence to be up so they can make plays in the game.”Redshirt-Freshman Quarterback, Jeremias Elston
- On how the first few days of camp have gone
“The first few days of camp have been really good. We’re all studying in the film room and coming out here and getting better. We’ve been working on our footwork. Coach (Jeff) Parker has really been teaching us, and that’s what the first few days are about. We’ve all been learning, teaching, studying and just trying to get better.”

- On leaning on the experience of the older quarterbacks
“Having O’Shay (Ackerman-Carter) and (Ronald) Butler here, they’re both great. Butler being All-Conference one year. Just listening to them and looking at them and figuring out what we need to do to get better, it’s perfect.”

Freshman Quarterback, Rodrick Robinson
- Early thoughts on camp
“Camp started out rough. Things move faster than high school and you have to pick up things faster than you did in high school, but I’ll get the hang of it.”

- On hi
s team rank“It’s like my freshman year of high school. You have to stand behind the guy and wait for your number to be called. I have to prepare myself so I can be ready when coach calls me.”

On the biggest adjustment to make to the college game
“The biggest change is the speed. The defense moves faster, the DBs move faster, the D-line moves faster. Everything is fast. Play calls are a little longer, so basically speed of the game.”